Silent Hill: Bloodlines
by Richard Biggs
Summary: Picking up immediately after the events of Homecoming, Alex, Elle and Wheeler narrowly escape from Silent Hill. Upon their arrival in a new town, Alex and Elle look forward to a fresh start, but the dark history of their hometown comes back to haunt them.
1. Last Ditch Effort

Chapter I: Last Ditch Effort

Alex struggled to stand as searing pain shot through his right leg. He gathered himself, trying to make sense of the bizarre happenings of the last three days. Exhausted, he gazed into the fog, scanning the desolate street for any indication of his whereabouts. Having just narrowly escaped a horrendous series of encounters in the Order's underground lair, Alex was unsure of where he had finally ended up. There was a weathered sign at a street corner ahead which read "_Sagan St"_. He remembered the name from the town map he had taken earlier—he was in Silent Hill.

Before Alex had time to formulate his next move, he saw a dark silhouette in the distance. _Shit. Not again._ This time, though, it appeared to be a human…

"Elle," Alex gasped. "You're okay?" Elle Holloway came into clear view. She looked worn down and physically fatigued, yet still somehow maintained a look of determination. She was still the strong woman that Alex knew.

"Yeah," Elle replied faintly. "I think so." She immediately threw her arms around Alex in a strong embrace. As they held each other closely, and Alex could feel her heart beat franticly. Its beating slowed to a steady pace after a minute, and Elle asked intently, "What did you see in there?"

"Exactly what I needed to," Alex replied, realizing that now was not the time for a detailed explanation of what had happened. Alex was immensely relieved that Elle was still alive, and that was all that mattered now. Just as he was about to suggest leaving as fast as possible, Elle hugged him again. Obviously, she painfully needed the comfort of another human being. After all, everyone else was gone. Alex hugged her back. Elle's family was dead, as was his, and all that was left was the two of them.

Then, Alex heard a faint crackling noise, a sound that was all too familiar. _No. It couldn't be. _He had lost his radio in the lair, so where was this noise coming from?. "Elle," Alex addressed her as calmly as possible. "Do you still have your radio?" Before she could answer, the sound escalated into an overwhelming static. It became apparent that Elle still had a radio from the day before. Alex looked over Elle's shoulder, making out a shadowy a figure quickly approaching—and it definitely wasn't human. A tall, gangly, creature with an elongated head, ending in a pendulum-fashioned blade was rapidly approaching. "You gotta be shittin' me," Alex shouted exasperatedly. Elle, still facing Alex, quickly turned around and gasped. "Fuck! I'm completely out of rounds. Elle, do you have any weapons?"

"No, I don't!" Elle screamed back, terrified.

Alex fumbled through his pockets as the monster closed in on them, its head gravely swinging side to side. He quickly reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the ceremonial dagger, an old relic of his hometown, Shepherd's Glen. It wouldn't do much good if the monster sliced him to death before he could get a close shot, but it was the only option as his leg was far too injured to run. "Come on, motherfucker!" Alex provoked the creature as it raised its head, about to strike. At this point, Alex realized it wasn't likely he'd survive this one. Elle screamed, and suddenly there was a loud blast. The monster, disfigured, fell to the ground, and a few feet from its body stood Deputy Wheeler, wielding a pump-action shotgun.

"Oh my god!" Elle enthused. "Wheeler, I thought you didn't make it!" Wheeler looked alarmingly injured, his abdomen pierced with bleeding stab wounds.

"Well," Wheeler snapped back. "Maybe if you two hadn't left my ass for dead down in that lair…"

"Jesus Christ, Wheeler!" Alex cut him off. "How are you not dead?" Wheeler looked taken aback. "Well, regardless," Alex continued. "I'm glad to see you're alive."

"I know, Alex," Wheeler replied. "I'm just giving ya'll a hard time. Now let's get the hell out of this town!" The three exchanged glances, waiting for someone to suggest an idea.

"Well the roads are completely fucked," Alex pointed out.

"I have an idea," Wheeler exclaimed. "The boat—I remember seeing a boat docked down there by the lake!"

"I don't suppose either of you know how to hotwire a boat," Elle commented unenthusiastically.

"Don't need to," Wheeler replied. "All the patrol boats in Toluca County use the same universal ignition key. The same boats were issued to all county sheriffs' departments back in the day, so my key should work!"

"Fuckin' A," Alex exclaimed. "Do you have it?"

Wheeler reached into his pants pocket whipped out his keychain, sporting an expansive assortment of strange keys. "Damn right I have it," He said. "Let's go."

The three of them continued down Sagan Street, trying to stay alert despite their mutual extreme exhaustion. Passing a bait shop on the right side of the street, Alex spoke up, "We're almost at the docks. Just a little further." Alex felt more tired and debilitated than he could ever remember having felt, but he didn't want to show any signs vulnerability in Elle's presence. He hoped that his strength and apparent fearlessness would reassure Elle and keep her encouraged. As they approached the docks, Elle glanced down at the series of rickety wooden ladders and walkways leading down to the water. It seemed like a perilous route to take.

"Is this the only way down?" Elle called out over the sound of loud crashing waves.

"Looks like it," Alex replied. "Wheeler, do you think you can handle climbing down this way?" Wheeler was noticeably injured far beyond the other two.

"Shit," Wheeler snapped back. "I've been attacked, kidnapped by religious fanatics, stabbed in the stomach with kitchen knives, and basically eaten alive. You think I'm gonna quit now? Man, fuck that shit!"

"That's the spirit," Alex smiled.

With great rigorous effort, Alex, Elle and Wheeler managed to make it down to where the deserted patrol boat was docked. They stepped onto the boat, which was heavily weather-beaten and covered in rust.

"Let's hope this bitch works," Wheeler announced. Alex wiped a thick layer of dust off the control panel and nodded. It didn't look promising, but they had no other choice. Wheeler inserted the key into the ignition and turned it. The engine grinded and sputtered but did not start. Wheeler shook his head and tried again. Still nothing.

"No dice," Wheeler declared.

"Try again, Wheeler. It has to work," Elle asserted.

Wheeler turned the key again. The engine painfully grinded for a few seconds and then started.

"Alright!" Alex exclaimed. "So do we have any idea where we're going now?"

"Well," Wheeler said. "Shepherd's Glen is out of the question. I'm definitely not going back there."

"I know," Elle spoke up. Alex and Wheeler turned to toward her. "We should head East. There's a town that way called Pleasant River. We'll definitely be able to find a hospital there."

"Sounds good to me," Wheeler agreed. "Pleasant River is far enough away from Silent Hill, and that's all I give a shit about. I just hope we have enough gas to get there. What do you say, Alex?"

"Absolutely."


	2. Awakening

Alex awoke in a hospital bed. He sat up quickly, sending a painful shock to his ribs. He quickly glanced around the room, which looked considerably clean and welcoming, unlike some of his most recent experiences in hospitals. Groggy from what must have been a very long session of sleeping, he tried to remember where he was. Alex scanned the room noting the pristine white walls, completely free of bloodstains and rust. "Hello," Alex called out weakly.

A slim, attractive looking nurse promptly walked in through the door near his bed. She was very much alive and human, which was a good thing.

_Not too hard on the eyes. She's no Elle, though. That's for sure. _

"How are we doing this afternoon, Mr. Shepherd?" The nurse asked kindly.

"I've been better," Alex groaned. "Where am I?"

"Memorial Hospital in Pleasant River," the nurse answered. "It's understandable that you'd be disoriented, given the extent of your injuries."

"So, is everyone alright?" Alex asked.

"What exactly do you mean?" The nurse replied, seemingly confused.

"Are my friends okay?"

"Oh, right," the nurse said. "They're all fine. The young lady who showed up with you…"

"Elle," Alex cut her off.

"Yes," the nurse continued. "She's been attended to and should be leaving today."

"That's great to hear," Alex said, immediately feeling an incredible sense of relief. The fact that they'd actually made it out of Silent Hill alive was astounding. "It's crazy," Alex said to the nurse. "I barely even remember getting here last night."

"Well, Mr. Shepherd," the nurse said. "You've actually been in and out of consciousness for about three days. This is the first I've seen you responsive since you got here."

_Damn. At least it wasn't four years. _

She began reading off his medical report. "Four broken ribs, moderate concussion, abrasions and cuts across your entire body." She read further. "A deep cylindrical hole in your left leg. What sort of accident were you involved in?"

"It's a very complicated story," Alex replied shortly. "How's Wheeler?"

"The police officer?" the nurse inquired.

"Yeah."

"He's in stable condition," the nurse explained. "He won't be out of here for awhile, unfortunately, but the doctors expect him to make a full recovery."

"That's good news," Alex said. For some reason, Wheeler always had unbelievable luck. During their endeavors in Shepherd's Glen and Silent Hill, he seemed to be constantly marked for death, but cheated it every time.

_Thank God we left him the first aid kit, I guess._

"Anyway," the nurse said. "I'm going to need to ask you a few questions, seeing as we couldn't find any of your past medical reports."

"Alright," Alex replied crossly. He wasn't really in the mood for tedious questioning.

"So," the nurse continued. "Are you currently taking any medications?"

"No."

"Do you currently suffer from any heart conditions or irregularities?"

"Not that I know of."

"Have you ever been diagnosed with any mental disorders, such as bipolar, severe personality disorder, or psychosis?"

He briefly thought about it and considered the possibility that he actually was crazy. It was hard to distinguish what was real and what wasn't during his recent misadventure, but that couldn't be defined by a medical condition.

"Definitely not," Alex replied.

After a few more frivolous questions, the nurse handed Alex a plastic square pack of pills. "This is a week's supply of hydrocodone."

"Killer," Alex said, satisfied. It would be nice to finally alleviate some pain.

"Painkiller, actually," the nurse replied. "And you'll also be needing crutches once you're feeling up to walking again"

"No thanks," Alex said shortly. "I think I'm done here. I've gotta go see Elle." Alex began to get out of his bed.

"Mr. Shepherd!" the nurse exclaimed. "You can't get up right now. You really need to rest…"

"Trust me, lady," Alex retorted. "I'll be fine."

Alex grabbed the IV needle stuck in his left arm, and pulled it out. He then ripped off the ekg pads from his chest and started getting dressed. The nurse sighed and left the room. After putting on his clothes, which were tremendously filthy, he left the room and wandered into the lobby. It was incredibly painful to put pressure on his left leg, but he chose to ignore it.

_Fuck crutches, I'll be fine. _

He glanced around and spotted Elle at the front desk, heatedly arguing with a woman over some paperwork. It was a relief to see her so lively.

Alex walked up and, without even thinking, hugged her tightly from behind. She whipped around, surprised.

"Jesus, Alex!" Elle exclaimed. "I totally thought you were some creeper." Alex chuckled, and Elle embraced him strongly. Her clothes were remarkably dirty as well. "God, I'm glad you're okay, Alex." She squeezed his body tightly in her arms.

"Ma'am," the lady at the front desk interjected. "You still haven't presented any form of valid insurance."

Before Elle could retaliate, Alex stepped up to the counter and pulled out his wallet from his back pocket. He handed the front desk woman an insurance card that hadn't been used in years.

"This will take a few minutes to process. Please wait right here." As soon as she stepped away from her desk, Alex and Elle immediately bolted.

As they quickly made their exit through the hospital's automatic sliding doors, Elle looked at Alex. "Are you kidding me?" She asserted. "After everything we've been through, you actually still have your wallet?"

"I guess I didn't lose everything," Alex replied. He fumbled through his pockets and felt a hard object in his coat. He pulled out the ceremonial dagger. Engraved with a multitude of detailed carvings, the knife had probably been hand crafted well over a century ago.

"Wow," Elle said, surprised. "I didn't realize you had hung on to that. I don't think we should keep it."

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "It doesn't really feel right."

"I bet it would be worth a good chunk of money if you sold it," Elle suggested.

"You're probably right," Alex said. "But first things first—where are we actually going to stay now?" Alex realized that he hadn't thought this far ahead.

Elle laughed, "I have no idea. I guess we could try and get a hotel room or for the time being."

"I think that'll work."

Elle and Alex walked down River Road, the main street going through Pleasant River. The town resembled a cleaner, more aesthetically pleasing version of Shepherd's Glen, and the best part—no fog. It was a small, bustling community littered with local businesses and a river running through the middle of the town. It seemed bizarre to finally experience sunny weather again, along with numerous people walking about the town, carrying on with their daily business. The name Pleasant River suited it perfectly.

"What about this place?" Elle pointed to a decent looking hotel across the street. A grandiose wood sign was hung above the entry reading _Riverview Hotel. _ It wasn't that close to the river, but considering the small size of the town it made sense by comparison.

"Certainly better than the Grand Hotel," Alex replied, remembering an unpleasant venture into the daunting hotel in Silent Hill. They crossed the street and entered the lobby together.

"Alex," Elle said looking concerned. "How are we going to pay for this? I don't have any money."

"Don't worry," Alex replied. "I have an old checking account from high school that's probably still active. I doubt there's any money in there but I'll just give them my card and they'll charge us when we eventually decide to check out." Elle smiled.

"One room, please," Elle said to the front desk manager.

"Okay," the man at the desk said. "Second floor. Room 206 on your left."

"Whoa," Alex shot back. "Could we possibly, um, get a different room?"

The desk man gave Alex a confused look. "We'd just prefer something on the first floor, that's all."

"Oh, of course," the desk attendant replied politely. "Not a big fan of heights, huh?" He looked to be in his sixties or seventies, and wore an unusually thick pair of black rimmed glasses. His name badge said _Ralph. _"I'll just need a credit card or cash deposit." As Alex dug through his pockets for his wallet, the ceremonial dagger slipped out of his coat and fell to the floor, causing a loud _clank _to reverberate throughout the lobby.

"Gee whizz," the desk attendant said astonished. "That's a mighty fine looking knife you got there, son."

"Nah," Alex replied casually as he picked it up off the floor. "It's nothing really."

"I don't know about that," the desk attendant continued, "It certainly looks amazing." He tried to catch another glimpse of the dagger as Alex stuffed it into his coat.

"Here's a card," Alex said, handing the desk attendant a debit card.

"Alright, mister…Shepherd," the desk attendant said examining the card. "Any relation to David Shepherd?"

"Don't think so." Alex hoped to divert the conversation.

"He was one of my good friends back in the day," the desk attendant continued. "Him and his wife Stephanie, they were the nicest folks. Ya know, you kind of remind me of David back in his younger days."

"Yeah?" Alex replied, trying to seem uninterested.

"If I remember correctly," the desk attendant went on. "I think one of David's great, great grandfathers was one of the founders of that town Shepherd's Glen."

"Can't say I've heard of it," Alex replied.

"Ah," the desk attendant said. "You must not be from around here. I haven't been out to Shepherd's Glen in ages. I don't really do a whole lot of traveling these days."

"Is that right?" Alex commented.

"Yep, no vacation time for me," the old man replied. "No one ever really leaves this place."

"Okay," Elle spoke up. "Thanks for all your help, sir." He handed her the room key.

"You got it," the desk attendant said with a peculiar grin. "Have yourself a wonderful day ma'am." He looked at Alex. "And you too, Alex Shepherd."


	3. Scars

Elle and Alex walked into their first-floor hotel room and shut the door. The one-bed room was completely dark and smelled strongly of cleaning products. "That was weird as hell," Alex said, collapsing on the bed.

Elle turned on a lamp. "What was?"

"The old guy, Ralph," Alex continued, "He was talking about my grandparents. David and Stephanie Shepherd were my dad's parents."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah," Alex replied. "They both died years ago, when I was a little kid. I don't remember a lot about them, but I'm positive that's them. It's just bizarre that that guy was friends my grandfather."

"It's purely coincidence," Elle said sitting next to him on the bed. "Toluca County is a small area, everybody knows everybody." Elle seemed to think nothing of it, but Alex still felt uneasy. It was true that all the neighboring towns were fairly close in proximity, but Shepherd's Glen had become completely cut off, and nobody else seemed to have noticed.

"He mentioned the founders of Shepherd's Glen, too."

"Connect the dots, Alex," Elle said. "It's not that big of a stretch, given the town _was _named after your family."

"Yeah, it just freaks me out a little, I guess."

"And," Elle added. "Don't forget, my ancestors were founders of Shepherd's Glen too." She paused for a moment. "There's no need to be paranoid, Alex, everything is alright now."

"Also," Alex continued. "Don't you think it was just a little odd that he immediately assigned us room 206?"

"No, not really," Elle answered. "Why?"

"That's the time that all the clocks were stopped at in Shepherd's Glen," Alex explained.

"I think you're overanalyzing things right now," Elle said.

As Alex thought about it, he knew there was more to it than that. From what he had gathered, he had supposedly been in confined to room 206 in Alchemilla Hospital. On the other hand, there didn't seem to be enough evidence to necessarily make it true. He recalled Adam Shepherd, right before his death, telling Alex he had been institutionalized. But his father had lied to him before in a very huge way. Having plotted his own son's death, Adam's credibility was compromised. Still, it didn't change the fact that the number 206 seemed to carry a bad omen.

"I guess you're right," Alex sighed. "I'm probably just worrying over nothing. It's gonna be weird adjusting to normal life again." Elle laid down beside him.

"I know it's difficult, Alex," Elle said comfortingly.

"So what now?" Alex said, contemplating their future. "I mean, where do we go from here?"

"Let's just take it one day at a time," Elle said. "We'll figure it out. Everything's gonna be better now, I know it." Alex acknowledged that he could potentially be happy again, but that didn't change the fact that he had been responsible for his own brother's death. As he dwelled on it, it hit him that he was responsible for Elle's mother's death as well. She had undoubtedly deserved it, but it was still extremely troubling to think about.

"Elle," Alex said quietly. "I never told you about what I saw in the lair."

"Do I really need to know?" Elle asked, seeming a little uncomfortable.

"No one else could possibly understand," Alex went on. "You're the only person I have to trust. I think you have the right to know what happened."

"Okay," Elle agreed. "You can tell me anything. I'm not scared."

As Alex lay beside Elle, he told her everything that had happened, withholding no details. He told her how he killed Judge Holloway in self-defense with a power drill, and explained how he had failed to accept that Josh had died because of him. He also mentioned how his father had told him he'd been in a mental institution rather than the army, but the truth of that matter was still unclear. He didn't quite know what to think, but maybe it didn't matter so much anymore.

"I'm okay with that, Alex," Elle said reassuringly. "Margaret was no mother of mine. You did the right thing." Alex was utterly surprised that Elle had taken it so well. Maybe it really wasn't that surprising considering all the crazy shit they'd just been through.

"I still feel this tremendous guilt over what happened to Josh," Alex said. "I guess I've accepted it now. I just want to try and move on."

"Seriously, it wasn't your fault," Elle insisted. "It was completely an accident." Elle's remarks were encouraging, but he knew that healing his personal scars wouldn't happen quickly. "My family is gone too, Alex," Elle went on. "But I can't stay resentful forever. My sister wouldn't have wanted that."

"You're right," Alex said. He laid next to Elle in silence for awhile, trying to think of what else to say. "Elle," he said after a few minutes. "Thanks." Elle reached down held his hand tightly. He looked over at her, and she smiled.

"I know what I could use right now," Elle said.

"What's that?" Alex asked.

"A freakin' shower, that's what," Elle said amusingly. She definitely knew how to make him smile, even in the most miserable of times.

"Same here," Alex laughed. "You go ahead, I 'm just gonna kick back for awhile. I haven't watched TV in God knows how long."

"Alright then, lazy ass," Elle teased him. She walked into the bathroom and started the shower. She had left the door cracked, and from the angle Alex was sitting on the bed, he could see her reflection in the mirror across from him. As Elle took her top off, Alex debated whether he should keep looking. He didn't want to be some kind of perv, but he genuinely thought Elle was very attractive, more so than he had ever realized in the past. Throughout high school, Alex and Elle maintained a close friendship up until he left Shepherd's Glen, but they never really seemed to have any romantic substance between them. If there was any, he definitely had not acted upon it back then. Now, perhaps things could be different. As she reached back to take off her bra, Alex looked back towards the TV.

_Shit, I really shouldn't._

He turned on the TV to distract himself. There was a show on about paranormal apparitions and hauntings. At the moment, a woman was being interviewed about her deceased family member speaking to her through visions.

_Might have to skip this one._

Alex changed the channel. A commercial came on promoting most anticipated game of the season. It was being marketed as the best ever in the survival-horror genre. Alex thought it sounded lame—there was no way a videogame could seriously be scary.

"Okay, buddy," Elle announced as she stepped out the bathroom wearing a hotel bathrobe. "It's all yours."

"Great," Alex said. He slowly got up off the bed and carefully stood up. His entire body ached terribly. He attempted to take his shirt off as he walked toward the bathroom, hoping Elle would be impressed by his physique. Instead, he received an excruciating jolt of pain to his ribs as he tried to lift his shirt over his head. "Fuck!"

"Let me help you," Elle said, sounding like an exasperated mother. Elle sat Alex back down on the bed and helped him take off his shirt. To his surprise, he sported numerous bloodstained bandages across his torso and chest, and his ribs were heavily bruised.

"Oh my God, Alex," Elle said, gently touching his abdomen. "Does it hurt?"

"Hell yes it does!" Alex gasped. He breathed slowly as Elle's fingers lightly grazed his stomach and chest. It was unclear whether she was trying to comfort him or touch him just for the sake of touching him. Alex assumed the latter. He looked up at her, analyzing her looks really closely for the first time. He noted how all of her subtle features collectively made her so naturally sexy. Her stringy wet blond hair falling onto her shoulders, her stunning blue eyes, and her inconspicuous but undeniably alluring figure amounted to Elle looking remarkably attractive. She didn't flaunt it though, it was likely she didn't even realize that she was hot. Pondering deeply, Alex tried to think of any past boyfriends Elle had back in the day. He couldn't think of any.

"God, you look amazing," Alex suddenly said without thinking. Elle immediately stopped touching him and looked completely caught off guard. It was as if he had completely lost his interior monologue. There was a moment of silence.

"Really?" Elle asked smiling.

Alex realized he had completely horrible timing. But there was no turning back now.

"Yeah, really..." Alex replied, not being able to think of anything clever or romantic to say.

_Shit, what a terrible reply. Gotta do better than that._

"…well, you've always been beautiful, Elle. I've really always thought that. I guess I just never said it because always just such close friends..."

Elle seemed to be hesitant, and Alex had no clue what her reaction would be. There remained an excruciating silence for quite some time. After what seemed like forever, she looked directly into his eyes.

"Alex, honestly..." She paused. Alex prepared himself for impending embaressment. "…I really love you." Her soft hands traveled up to his Alex's stubbly face, and she abruptly pulled him toward her. Alex felt her warm lips press against his. It seemed completely illogical that this was happening. Him? And Elle? It didn't make any sense, but he didn't want it to stop. They began kissing passionately. Alex's heart was pounding as he felt Elle's warm rapid breathing upon him. After a minute, Alex pulled away.

_I don't want this to be awkward. This could completely ruin a great friendship._

"Elle, we've known each other for a long time," Alex said, unsure of what exactly he was really trying to say. "The thing is," he paused. "I just don't want this to make things…"

"Complicated?" Elle finished his sentence. She looked disappointed. "So after everything you've made it through, and everything we've been through together, the one thing you're afraid of is falling for me?" As stupid as it sounded, it was sort of true. "It's okay to _feel_ something for a change."

"I want to," Alex affirmed. Elle leaned in and kissed him again and he kissed her back. She pressed herself on top of him, which was somewhat painful due to his multitude of injuries, but he figured it was worth it. Elle was more passionate and sensually aggressive than Alex ever would have expected, but he enjoyed every minute of it. She seemed to be doing all the work. While still on top of him, Elle reached down and unbuckled his belt. She slid down his body and then proceeded to take off his pants.

_Wow. Didn't quite expect this._

Elle slid her robe off. It was almost surreal, Alex thought, that a beautiful woman was completely undressed on top of him. Since she had always been just a friend, it should have felt awkward. But it didn't. Everything felt right.

_Okay, I got this._

Alex held onto Elle's body and gently switched positions with her. He was now situated on top of her. Elle giggled. "Oh, so _you're_ taking the lead now?"

Alex took a deep breath and went for it. Elle gasped sharply.

"Are you okay?" Alex whispered.

"Yes. Don't stop."


	4. Let the Guilt Go

Chapter 4: Let the guilt go

Alex opened his eyes. He immediately realized that he couldn't see anything. His surroundings appeared pitch black, and he could feel the unmistakable sensation of mist on his face. He was also freezing cold, shivering violently. As he tried to move around, he realized that he was floating in a body of water. After a minute, his eyes adjusted and it was certain—he was in the middle of the lake. _How the hell did I end up in the lake? I was just in bed…this doesn't make any sense... _He struggled to swim forward but his wet clothes were powerfully dragging him down. Frantically, he looked in all directions for land, but there was none to be seen. After a moment, Alex spotted a faint light piercing the thick mist that hovered over the lake. The light appeared to be resonating from a small boat, slowly drifting toward him in the water.

"Hey!" Alex hollered out. "Help me—I'm gonna drown out here!"

Thank God someone had showed up. As the boat got closer though, he realized that there was nobody in it. It was old and heavily rotted, a ghost vessel drifting aimlessly in the water. The light was radiating from a flashlight, perfectly balanced on the edge of the boat. It looked oddly familiar. _Wait a second…is that my flashlight?_ It was indeed Alex's flashlight. This was _his _old rowboat. The same one he had taken out on the lake that night with…

"Josh?" Alex gasped as the boat drifted aside, revealing a child's body floating face-up in the water. No doubt it was Josh, sporting an orange t-shirt and grey cargo shorts. His body was pale and completely lifeless, he looked irrefutably dead. But suddenly, as Josh floated on his back, his head turned sideways toward Alex.

"Hi, Alex," Josh said solemnly. Alex was confounded.

"Josh…what are you doing out here?" Alex asked concernedly. "I want to help you. I've gotta get you out of here."

"I'm dead, Alex," he replied plainly. Hearing nine-year-old Josh make such a statement was overwhelmingly macabre.

"Of course you are," Alex said coming to his senses. Josh had been dead for several years and in that regard, this whole scenario was entirely impossible. Was it a dream, or some sort of paranormal apparition? Either way, Alex was captivated. Maybe this was an opportunity to tell his brother everything he never had the chance to say. But what did it matter if it wasn't real?

"I just...I don't want to see you like this, Josh." Alex felt his eyes dampen. "I'm just so sorry for happened to you."

"I forgive you, Alex," Josh said.

"Well," Alex said, struggling to keep afloat. "I can't seem to forgive myself."

"It's okay, Alex," Josh said smiling. "Let the guilt go."

"I'm trying really hard," Alex replied. The two brothers floated together in silence as Alex attempting to make sense of what was happening. "Josh, why are we out here in the lake? You brought me here didn't you?"

"I have to tell you something, Alex," Josh said. "It's _really_ important."

"Tell me, please," Alex said despairingly, his wet clothes forcefully threatening to pull him down into the chilling abyss.

"It's not safe here."

"Of course it's not!" Alex yelled back. "I could have told you that. We're out in the middle of Toluca Lake at night. You died out here, Josh!"

"That's not what I meant," Josh said. "_You're _not safe. Elle's not safe either. You're both in danger."

"What?" Alex asked perplexed. "How do you figure that? We left Silent Hill and we're starting a new life. I've got nothing to worry about anymore."

"Who controls the past controls the future," Josh said. "Who controls the present controls the past."

"What the hell are you talking about, Josh?" Alex shouted. "This is bullshit! Stop speaking in riddles and tell me what I you really mean." Despite Alex's aggressive remarks, Josh looked satisfied.

"Smile," Josh said with an eerie grin. Alex felt himself sinking below the surface of the lake.

"Wait!" Alex shouted right as he became completely immersed. He closed his eyes and struggled to hold his breath. The intensity of the freezing water became overbearing and he sharply breathed in. He felt the sensation of water entering his lungs and coughed violently.

"Alex?" Elle's voice echoed distantly. Alex opened his eyes and was in bed, drenched in water. He stopped coughing and sat still.

"I'm wet," Alex gasped.

"Well, you're covered in sweat," Elle said, sitting beside him on the hotel bed. "You sounded like you were having a nightmare or something."

"Fuck," Alex said, still breathing heavily. "It was so _real._"

"Were you dreaming about Josh?" Elle inquired.

"Yeah, actually" Alex said astounded. "How the hell did you know that?"

"Well, you kept calling out his name while I was trying to wake you up."

"Oh," Alex said plainly. "I guess that makes sense." Alex got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

"You okay?" Elle called out.

"Of course," Alex said, attempting to sound completely calm. He opened the medicine cabinet and found his sample pack of pills. _HYDROCODONE 25MG TABLETS. TAKE 2 TABLETS PER DAY FOR PAIN. _Alex paused for a moment. _I'll make up for my missed doses yesterday. _He popped four pills. Shortly thereafter, he began to feel a warm numbing sensation spread throughout his body. But somehow, the pain did not go away.


End file.
